Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the proposal that came forward for request, we did fund. It sounds, by the nature of the Member’s questioning, that there is a shortfall. We will certainly sit down with the community to discuss the shortfall. However, I would like to raise the point that we did fund our portion that was requested of us. It sounds like there is a problem with contributions that were to be made from other sources and we will have to revisit the whole initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the proposal that came forward to the Community Initiatives program involved other contributions. It was never intended for the youth centre in Fort Resolution to be built solely on MACA or government funding. If there is a problem, if other partners in this initiative have not been fulfilling their end, we would certainly have to take a look at it and to see where our contribution has ended up and whether or not our involvement is going to continue in this whole initiative.

There is a proposal that comes forward, there are criteria, and we have a limit on the number...

Mr. Speaker, more and more, there is increasing pressure for community leaders to find innovative solutions to emerging challenges and issues they are facing. As a former mayor for the Hamlet of Fort Providence, I know that decisions made by local councils have an immediate daily impact on the lives of all residents. Now, as Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, my goal is to provide the tools to community leaders so that communities have the authority and responsibility to make sound decisions regarding local governance for their residents.

The Government of the Northwest Territories...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the Member again that we are not the lead on the project in Fort Resolution for a youth centre. The community is the lead, there are other partners, it was the intention to secure industry dollars and other dollars. If there is a problem with raising their share of the money, we would have to take a look at it.

We have certainly contributed a significant portion to this project. We have contributed our funding through the Community Initiatives program for this year. If there is still a need, we would have to be considering...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the youth centre in the community of Fort Resolution is a project spearheaded by the community. We have made contributions to the community to the tune of $80,000. We had made previous contributions where, I believe, it was $14,000. At this point, if there is a problem, we would have to sit down with the community to see where the problem stems and where it lies. I am not aware where the problem is at this point. We would have to get our staff in there to meet with the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled NWT Council of Sport and Recreation Partners Implementation Plan, October 2004. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to provide an update on the status of the Northwest Territories Council of Sport and Recreation Partners. For some time now, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has been working in cooperation with stakeholders within the territorial sport and recreation system to find ways to improve the overall effectiveness of the system.

During consultation on this issue over the past few years, several key themes emerged. We heard that there needs to be a forum where all communities and partners can have a voice in planning and decision-making for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to indicate to the Member that the department recognizes a need for recreation infrastructure, and we encourage recreation programs. We invest a lot of money into recreation programs across the North. Not every community has a gymnasium. The process for recreation facilities has to go through the capital planning process. It has to compete with water, sewer, solid waste, and all these other infrastructure needs across the Territories. The demand is high. We have had to cut and look at ways we spend money and reallocate. So it is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during our tour this summer with the communities in Nahendeh, we had discussed this issue. We had committed that we would work with them to see what is available. The issue of a gymnasium and a standard across the board, I am not sure how many other communities don’t have gymnasiums. In some communities, it is attached to the school. In this case, there is no intention for a facility to be attached to the school. There are only 25 students in the school. We would like to sit down and talk to the community about a multi-purpose hall as soon as we get...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we would certainly commit to looking at the options and meet with the community to talk about what we can do there, if it is feasible or viable to look at a multi-purpose hall or continue working with the youth centre or to even discuss what it would entail to put in a school gym. We certainly could commit to doing that. We will have our regional staff discuss this with the community. Thank you.